My friend Renée makes this as a loaf cake for her Cuidiu Coffee morning. It is her signature cake and is a big success. I tweaked it so I had a muffin that everyone loved for my kids’ lunchboxes. Don’t like blueberries? Replace them with raspberries they work just as well with the lemon. Even as a Gluten Free version this muffin is divine. Impress your friends and serve the muffins warm with a dollop of cream next time they pop around for coffee

250 grams /1 ¾ cups plain flour (all purpose)

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

150 grams/ 1 ½ sticks/ ¾ cup butter

230 grams/ 1 cup ricotta cheese

300 grams/ 1 ½ cups sugar

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon lemon zest (about 2 lemons)

140grams/ 1 ½ cups blueberries

Preheat the oven to 160C/325F and place muffin cases into your muffin pan.

Rinse your blueberries and using a teaspoon of flour from the 250 grams / 1 ¾ cup toss the blueberries to coat them. This will prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the cake.

Beat together the butter, ricotta and sugar in your mixer until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time as well as the lemon zest and vanilla. The batter will look curdled but not to worry it isn’t! Add the flour and mix on a low speed to prevent it flying everywhere. Add the blueberries and mix by hand to prevent breaking the berries.

Scoop the batter in to the muffin cases using a muffin scoop   and bake for about 18 minutes until a skewer inserted come out clean.

Alternatively, you can make this as a loaf cake. Use a 9’’x 5’’ pan and line it with baking parchment or a loaf liner. Bake for 70-80 minutes. If you feel it is browning too quickly put a sheet of tinfoil (aluminium foil) over the top of the pan.

I have made this as a gluten free loaf cake and muffins by replacing the flour with a gluten free variety. I used Dove’s Farm Brand. Remember also to use GF baking powder and ¼ teaspoon Xanthan gum to prevent it crumbling.

Cheat by freezing these muffins. Then, they are ready to pop into your lunchbox whenever you need.

Nobody in my house will eat courgettes, so when I first made these muffins I renamed them Zucchini Muffins and they were a big hit as nobody really knew what a zucchini was! It is in fact the American term for courgettes!  I peeled the zucchini so there were no telltale green bits to give me away.  The orange zest is great in this recipe but if you are not a fan you can replace it with lemon zest. You can also add chocolate chips if you are feeling decadent. This can also be made into a loaf! A special thank you to my friend Sandra for the great photo.

• 118 millilitres / ½ cup vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs
• 225 grams /1 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons orange zest
• 1 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 187grams /1½ cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 135 grams /1½ cups loosely packed grated zucchini (peeled first if you want) about 2 zucchini
• 80 grams / ½ cup milk or dark chocolate chips

Method

• Preheat the oven to 180C/350F
• Line a 12 cup muffin pan with liners. If you are making this as a loaf you will need a 9×5 inch tin which should be lined with baking parchment or a loaf tin liner which is even easier.
• Whisk the oil, eggs, sugar, zest and vanilla together in a large bowl.
• In a separate bowl mix the flour with the baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt. Stir in the grated zucchini and ensure that it is coated with flour.
• Add the flour mixture to the wet mixture and stir until blended. If you are using chocolate chips stir them in now.
• Use an ice cream scoop to evenly distribute the batter into the muffin cases. Alternatively scrape all the batter into your prepared loaf tin.
• Bake the muffins for 15- 18 minutes or the loaf for 50-60 minutes until a skewer inserted into the centre of the muffin/cake comes out clean.

Cheat: The muffins or loaf can be frozen so all you have to do when preparing lunch boxes is to pop one in straight from the freezer.

Make these muffins gluten free by substituting the flour and baking powder with a GF variety. I like Dove’s Farm brand. Remember to include ¼ teaspoon of Xanthum gum to stop it for crumbling.

This chicken is a big hit with my kids. We celebrated 4^th July with this served with mashed potato and green beans  but of course you could serve it with chunky fries or a salad. The buttermilk tenderises the chicken so it literally melts in your mouth. Of course it is ideal for picnics and lunchboxes. My four year old devoured it when we had it for dinner last night and only the bone arrived home from preschool! In our house that means we have a winner as he is my biggest food critic!

• 8 drumsticks and 8 thighs
• or 1 chicken jointed into 8 pieces – your butcher will do this for you
• 1 litre/ 4 ¼ cups buttermilk
• 125 grams/1 cup plain flour (All purpose)
• ½ – 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper depending on your taste buds
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg beaten with 2 tablespoons water
• Oil for frying

• In a large pot place chicken and cover with the buttermilk. (You can use whole milk if you have no buttermilk) cover with cling film (Plastic wrap) and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight. This will tenderize the meat but is optional. I have cooked this dish without refrigerating and it’s just as good.
• When you are ready to cook, bring the milk to a boil and reduce the heat to simmer until the chicken is cooked. The internal temperature should be 83C/181F
• Remove the chicken from the pan and place on a plate to cool.
• In a large freezer bag, add flour, salt and cayenne pepper and shake to combine.
• In a bowl beat egg and water together.
• Place each piece of chicken into the bag and shake to coat the chicken. Then dip the chicken into the egg mixture and place it back into the bag a second time to coat in flour. Repeat this with all the chicken pieces.
• Heat your oil and using tongs, gently drop each piece of chicken into the oil in batches and cook until it becomes crispy and golden brown in colour. Drain on a paper towel lined plate. Keep warm in the oven until all the chicken is cooked. Set aside some for your lunch box but keep them chilled in the fridge until the morning.

Make this chicken dish gluten free by substituting the flour with a GF variety. I like Dove’s Farm brand.

Give your local Chinese a rest and make these crispy chicken balls for dinner but make sure to keep a couple to put in your lunch box! I used 7UP to make the batter but you can also use sparkling water or even milk. The fizz helps the balls to puff up when they hit the hot oil. It is often difficult to find a good sweet and sour sauce,  but this one is delicious and is relatively simple to make. It is also gluten free!

4-5 chicken breast fillets cut up into bite sized pieces

75 grams/½ cup cornflour (Cornstarch)

125 grams /1 cup plain flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

236 millitres/1 cup of 7UP, sparkling water or milk

Oil for deep frying

Heat the oil in a wok or deep saucepan. You can also use a deep fryer if the element is hidden as the chicken will stick to it otherwise.

Also turn on your oven to 160C/320F to keep the chicken hot as you are frying off each batch.

Sift cornflour, flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Gradually add the liquid, mixing until smooth with a whisk.

Add the chicken and ensure that each piece is well coated.

Deep fry in batches in hot oil until the internal temperature is 83C/181F. You can buy a digital thermometer in Brennans Wholesale shop in Doughcloyne or on Amazon. See link below:

Serve with boiled rice or with the stir fried rice that I posted for Chinese New Year.

Make these gluten free by substituting the flour and baking powder with a GF variety. I like the Dove’s Farm brand.

Homemade Sweet and Sour Sauce

This homemade sweet and sour sauce is delicious and gluten free but feel free to cheat with a store bought sauce!

150 milliteres chicken stock

2 tablespoons Shaoxing Rice Wine or dry sherry

3 tablespoons light soy sauce

2 teaspoons dark soy sauce

1 ½ tablespoons tomato paste or ketchup

3 tablespoons cider vinegar

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon cornflour (cornstarch) blended with 2 tablespoons water

Add all the ingredients except the cornflour slurry to a sauce pan. Bring to the boil, add the cornflour slurry and turn the heat down and simmer for three minutes. Serve immediately.

Sauce adapted form Ken Hom’s Foolproof Chinese Cookery